The Philosophy of Clint Eastwood

The Use of Silence in Hereafter

175 the use oF sIlenCe In hereaFter A Study in Neurocinematics Richard T. McClelland But my words, like silent raindrops fell And echoed In the wells of silence. —Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence,” 1964 Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood and released in the fall of 2010, is variously described as a supernatural drama or even “a spiritual thriller.”1 It raises a number of issues of interest to philosophers, most especially about the epistemic status of so-called near-death experiences, as well as attitudes toward death and the possibility of survival. Some of these issues are dealt with elsewhere in this volume (in McFarland’s essay and in my own other essay). They are not, however, the focus of the present essay. Instead, I want to look at a very unusual feature of this film: its use of silence. My thesis is three-fold: first, that Eastwood has fashioned the use of silence on the model of his own preferred and very “spare” style of acting; second, that he has intuited elements of how silence functions at a neurobiological level; and third, that such uses of silence, when seen in the light of contemporary neuroscience, open up a rich set of possibilities for placing filmmaking itself on a scientific basis. I start with the phenomenology of silence in this very intriguing film. Types of Silence in Hereafter Thereareseveralkindsofsilencethatoccurinthisfilm.Thefirsttypeinvolves at least four major episodes, each lasting from twenty to forty seconds, dur- 176 Richard T. McClelland ing which there is no sound of any kind in the film. These typically involve either a single major character: for example, Marie Lelay (Cécile de France), or George Lonegan (Matt Damon); or a distinctive couple: for example, the twins Jason and Marcus (Frankie McLaren and George McLaren), or Marie and George together (toward the end of the film). These episodes of silence occur at emotionally key moments in the film, moments which it is important for us to remember later on if we are to make sense of the entire film and its narrative arc. Thus, the earliest of these episodes occurs while Marie is undergoing her near-death experience during the tsunami, an experience that is pivotal for the whole film.2 Another very poignant silent episode occurs just after Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard) leaves George’s apartment. We see him standing in the vestibule of his home, with a single overhead light in front him and with his back to us. We know at this point that he himself has despaired of ever forming a successful partnership precisely because of his psychic “gift” (which he regards as a curse in large part for this reason). He knows that what has transpired between Melanie and him that evening is probably the end of this possible partnership as well. He says nothing and does nothing. But his whole bodily posture radiates that sense of despair.3 The precise function of the silence during this episode will concern us further below. A second kind of silence in this film occurs when a particular actor might be expected to speak, but does not, these episodes lasting approximately two to five seconds. A third kind of silence, lasting for periods of five to ten seconds, occurs when an actor (often one of the main ones) is seen moving silently against a complex social background that involves ambient noise (opening and closing of doors, traffic sounds, footsteps, or the like), but without any sound coming from the actor. Fourth, there are ample instances of silence that function as rests during musical interludes. Eastwood , of course, is himself a notable musician and composer, and wrote the music for this film. He is especially fond of jazz and often writes pieces that start with very simple melodic lines (often in a minor key, played on piano or guitar) that contain rests typically lasting one to three seconds, followed by development of those simple melodies involving further instruments. There is nothing surprising about this, but such musical “gaps” acquire further significance in conjunction with the other types of silence that are found throughout this film. So arresting are these uses of silence, especially in the four longest episodes , that some explanation for these practices is called for. I’m suggesting The Use of Silence in Hereafter 177 here that one part of this explanation lies in Eastwood’s own distinctive acting style...